Winter Fresh Slaw

For the past few weeks, all I have been craving is coleslaw.  Fresh, crunchy, and so easy to make.  However, I am not a fan of pre-made coleslaw dressing - it just tastes too sweet for me.  So, I like to make my own and control the amount of sugar in it.  But that doesn't mean I don't like some sweetness in my salad.  Pears are a beautiful, crisp, sweet addition to coleslaw.

Ingredients:

1 cup mayonnaise

1 ½ tsp. white vinegar

2 Tbsp. dill pickle juice (preferably garlic dill pickles)

2 ½ Tbsp. granulated sugar

1 tsp. parsley flakes

½ tsp. ground mustard

½ tsp. minced onion

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. celery seed

¼ tsp. cumin

¼ tsp. granulated garlic

¼ tsp. paprika

¼ tsp. white pepper

3 pears

7 cups shredded cabbage, mix of purple and green

1 cup shredded carrots

Directions:

1.       Mix the mayonnaise, vinegar, and pickle juice and set aside.

2.       Mix all the dried ingredients, stir well, and add to the wet ingredients.

3.       Blend well, cover, and refrigerate for at least an hour to let the flavours blend.

4.       Cut the pears into matchstick pieces so that they blend in with the cabbage and carrots.

5.       Toss all ingredients together and serve right away.

Note: this makes a potluck/picnic sized batch of coleslaw.  I like to keep a jar of pre-mixed dry spices and use it to make small batches when I want to.   For a smaller amount, mix ½ Tbsp. of the dry spice blend with ¼ cup of mayonnaise, 1 ½ tsp. of pickle juice, and 3/8 tsp. of vinegar.